If
we as a nation had a better crêpe consciousness, we might
not be so besotted with the likes of McDonald’s. Crepes are
the original fast-food items, and probably the best. Many
cultures boast some variation on the theme—except this country,
where white-bread sandwiches grew to be mistaken for food.

Crêpes are among the simplest of items to prepare: An easy-to-make
batter is cooked quickly; the resultant leavening-free pancakes
can be sweetened for breakfast or dessert, or filled with
ingredients savory or sweet. They offer a great way to polish
off leftovers.

Not surprisingly, crêpes have long been a staple of streetside
fare in Europe. They enjoyed a vogue in this country thanks
to the Magic Pan chain started by a pair of transplanted Hungarians—but
after the chain was acquired by Quaker Oats in the mid 1980s,
it soon went under.

“We
lived in Seattle for a while,” says Lauren Wickizer, “and
enjoyed the Magic Pan. We even saw a recent resurgence of
interest in crêperies, so when my husband and I decided to
start a restaurant in Saratoga Springs, this was one of the
possibilities.”

Ravenous opened three years ago with crêpes the unusual specialty.
“It was a little slow the first year,” Wickizer noted, “but
it’s been steadily getting better. At first people were only
thinking about us for brunch, but now they’re discovering
you can have a dinner here, too.”

There was no lack of business on a recent Wednesday, although
we arrived early enough in the evening to have a choice of
seats—a choice that would vanish by the time we left. My daughter
immediately decided that we should sit on stools that face
a counter by the front window, allowing us to eat while on
display to passersby (who, interestingly, avoided my gaze
as I regaled them with look-
how-much-I’m-enjoying-this-food facial expressions).

Your other options are to eat at a counter inside the restaurant,
facing the open kitchen, or to choose one of the few tables.

The menu couldn’t be simpler. Dinner crêpes. Dessert crêpes.
Fries.

A word about the last-named. They’re the Belgian variety,
pommes frites, which means that they’re cooked properly:
two trips through the hot oil (and it’s the more costly, but
tastier peanut oil) before the fries are served in a paper
cone with a choice of dipping sauces. And the dipping sauces
are good enough that my daughter totally forgot to ask for
ketchup. We selected aioli, a garlic mayo with a little spiciness,
and a blue-cheese sauce that would seem an unlikely pairing
but which, thanks to chicken wings, seems to be welcome in
more places.

The potatoes themselves are hand-chosen by chef Francesco
D’Amico (Wickizer’s husband), who prefers Idaho russets but
selects according to a magical balance of seasonal availability
and ability to turn crisp enough in the oil.

Pommes
frites are priced at $2.50 for a small order, $3.50 for
medium, $4.75 for large. For the three of us—my friend Liz
also joined us—we polished off a small and a medium with little
effort.

Back to the crêpes. The savory selection includes traditional
fillings like ham and cheese; the more imaginative combos
have curry, leeks or chili con carne. The leek-based crêpe,
dubbed Dr. Leekie ($8), may soon be bounced from the new menu:
Apparently there is a fear of leeks among some customers.
“We’re not going to abandon it entirely, however,” says Wickizer.
“There are some who really enjoy it. But we want to try a
new crêpe we’re calling La Sorbonne, which will have goat
cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh asparagus inside it.”

Most dinner crêpes run about $8; the Upper West-Sider, with
a filling of salmon and cream cheese, is $8.50. I chose a
Gruyère-mushroom-spinach combo called the Crêpe Marcel, which
arrived alongside fresh salad greens nicely dressed with a
bit of balsamic vinaigrette—just the right proportions. The
crêpes themselves, looking like little purses, yielded to
a forkside incision with a puff of steam and a rich aroma,
promising a flavor that wasn’t disappointing. But Gruyère
makes almost anything into a tasty meal.

More of a challenge was Liz’s crêpe, with a ratatouille filling
(eggplant, peppers, green and yellow squash, a touch of tomato,
fresh basil). This side dish deserves to be a meal in itself,
and it worked wonderfully in the crêpe context.

Beverages include a zesty iced Moroccan mint tea that Liz
enjoyed; I kept the Belgian theme going with an Ommegang Abbey
Ale ($4.25).

With a child in tow, we couldn’t forego dessert crêpes, which
run in the $4-to-$5 range. My daughter selected a French kiss,
chocolate-hazelnut spread wrapped in crêpes and topped with
whipped cream, while Liz went for a berry mix that featured
blueberries and, of course, more fresh whipped cream.

Portion size, fortunately, isn’t too onerous. We were able
to ease into the evening with sense of well-being undimmed
by all those sweets. Service throughout was eager and prompt,
and we felt like welcome members of this still somewhat exclusive
crêpe society by the time we left.

Dinner for three, with tax and tip, desserts and a beer, was
$53.

TABLE
SCRAPS

Carney’s
Tavern (17 Main Street,
or Route 146A, Ballston Lake) celebrates its 20th anniversary
with an open-house anniversary celebration Sun., Oct
20 starting at 2 PM. For entertainment, Carney’s will
bring back several musicians who have played at the
tavern throughout the years, including Kevin McKrell,
the Coopers and Dennis D’Saro. The restaurant has a
heritage that stretches back to the early days of the
railroad, when it was a busy hotel-based eatery and
welcomed Teddy Roosevelt, among other illustrious guests.
Owners Rosemary and Bob Carney stress that much of their
success is due to their emphasis on being a community-based
entity. “We’re a part of our customers’ daily lives,”
says Rosemary. “Our customers at Carney’s are our friends
and neighbors and a part of our lives. Our family has
been a part of this community for more than 35 years,
and for us Carney’s Tavern is a natural extension of
our own home.” They point out that two key employees,
bartenders Kathy Stanco and Dan Ward, have been with
the restaurant since the doors opened, and that the
location, in a historic building, also distinguishes
it from the chain restaurants. For more info, call the
restaurant at 399-9926. . . . Seven Finger Lakes wineries
have joined to form the Finger Lakes Wine Guild,
to promote the production of food-oriented wine from
the classic European grape varieties grown in what has
become the largest wine district in the east. The wineries
are Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, Hermann
J. Wiemer Vineyard, Standing Stone Vineyards, Shalestone
Vineyards, Silver Thread Vineyard, Lamoreaux Landing
Wine Cellars and Sheldrake Point Vineyard. The grapes
on which they’re focusing their efforts are Riesling,
Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Gamay. As these efforts
continue, more area wineries are expected to join. You
can get more info on this venture at the consortium’s
Web site: www.fingerlakeswineguild.com. . . . Remember
to pass your scraps to Metroland, which you also
can do by e-mailing food@banilsson.com